A sail-together of tall ships from Kochi to Muscat—that’s 1200 nautical miles—and back, trying to retrace the ancient maritime trade route between the Malabar Coast and the Persian Gulf. As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), India’s Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba and his Iranian counterpart Rear Admiral Hossein Khanzadi flagged off the event from Kochi on November 14. One Omani vessel, two Indian naval ships and a ‘sea rider’ each from China, Sri Lanka, the United Kingdom, Australia, Bangladesh and Maldives are part of this maritime venture.

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